12 Best Tools & Software to Create Animated Videos

Animated videos are beneficial for every business.

These can be used to make your social media posts pop, educate your audience more engagingly, and even create more appealing ads.

However, to make an excellent animated video, you need to pick the right tool for the job. 

So in this blog post, you’ll find the twelve best tools for creating animated videos. 

1. Visme

Startting this list is Visme.

It’s spectacular software for creating any animation you need for your business. That has mostly to do with it being not only an animated video maker. Instead, it offers you so much more.

For example, you could create social media graphics, presentations, animated videos, etc.

That makes it a one-stop place for content marketing!

Also, the Visme team did a fantastic job with the interface. Overall, it’s very intuitive and easy to use, making video creation an enjoyable experience.

Main Features:

• Create anything from documents, and presentations to animated videos.
• Choose from thousands of templates to boost your video creation speed.

Pros:

• Easy to Use
• Versatility
• Free Version Available

Cons:

• No Guest Collaboration

2. Animaker

The next tool on the list is Animaker.

It’s yet another excellent tool for creating animated videos for your company. Like the last one, this tool is straightforward to use.

It should take you only a couple of hours to familiarize yourself with it and start creating stunning videos.

But apart from that, Animaker is also very adaptable. With it, you can make almost anything.

No matter if you need a lengthy video for teaching a topic or a simple graphic for your blog post, you can do it with Animaker.

And to help you out, even more, Animaker has lots of free resources to make your work more straightforward than it ever has been. You can use thousands of stock images, graphics, audio, and more, all through one platform.

Main Features:

• Create both live-action and animated content in a few minutes.
• Drag and Drop Builder helps to make creating videos a breeze.
• Create billions of unique characters with Animaker’s character builder.

Pros:

• Lots of Free Resources
• Easy-to-Use
• Very Adaptive

Cons:

• No Autosave on Free Plan

3. Vyond

Continuing down the list is Vyond.

Previously known as GoAnimate, Vyond offers you a solution for creating animated videos in minutes.

And how well does it do that!

For starters, this uses a drag-and-drop builder, making it extremely easy and intuitive for making videos.

But that’s not where it ends. What I especially like about Vyond is the advanced features it comes with. Here are just two of them:

• Automatic Lip-Sync – You no longer need to go frame-by-frame to make your character sync with the sound. Instead, you could let Vyond do that all for you.
• Custom Character Builder – Unlike other tools, you can create your own custom character here instead of using the provided character list.

Main Features:

• Automatic lip-sync makes animating mouths a breeze
• Video templates for every purpose from education to marketing and HR.
• Drag and Drop builder makes it a breeze to create animated videos.

4. PixTeller

Next is Pixteller.

It’s an impressive software for creating fantastic animations. That’s because of how effortless it is to use. You should be familiar with this platform within a few hours.

Then you’ll be able to create some fantastic videos very quickly.

That is primarily because of another feature named PixBot. This AI assistant will help you pick the correct one from thousands of templates for your video. That makes video creation a breeze!

Anyone can use Pixteller and create impressive animated videos. It’s super easy to use with no learning curve.

Main Features:

• Pixbot will help you find the best templates for your needs.
• Choose from millions of free assets to create professional animations.
• PixTeller lets you create both photos and videos.

Pros:

• Thousands of Premade Templates
• Easy to Use
• PixBot makes it easy to create videos

Cons:

• Some Essential Features Missing on Free Version

5. Adobe Animate

For those who find PixTeller too restrictive, then Adobe Animate is for you.

What makes this so great is that it has all the top-of-the-line features you expect from Adobe products. But it doesn’t end there.

For starters, Adobe has taken good care of the documentation. In there, you can find anything from beginner guides to tutorials showing you how to use the tools the best way possible.

Additionally, Adobe Animate seamlessly integrates with the other Adobe products. You can easily import your work from Photoshop or InDesign with no problems at all. That saves up a lot of time.

And once your project is complete, you won’t have to worry about file compatibility, as Adobe Animate has almost every possible export option you could think of.

Main Features:

• Seamless integration with other Adobe products lets you easily create natural-looking animations with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator content.
• Asset panel lets you quickly give you premade assets to make your work faster.
• Publish to any platform you want. This includes custom platforms like SVG, HTML5 Canvas, and so much more.

Pros:

• Great Documentation
• Endless Export Options
• Seamless Integration with other Adobe products

Cons:

• Steep Learning Curve for New Users

6. VistaCreate

Next up is VistaCreate.

Mostly, that’s because of how easy it is to use. For those who’ve used Canva before, you should feel right at home, as the interface is nearly identical.

Apart from a familiar interface, VistaCreate also has a lot of resources for making the perfect animated video. You can use up to 50M+ creative assets like pictures, sounds, videos, graphics, and much more.

And lastly, VistaCreate has a very generous free plan. You can use most of the features, apart from a few, making it useful for a long time.

But just like with every other platform, this one has its flaws as well. Where this tool falls short is in the usability of its features. For example, you cannot recover some aspects of your image once the background is removed.

Additionally, some basic features are missing. For example, you cannot make any bullet points or create curved texts.

Main Features:

• Use the 50M+ Creative Assets to create anything from pictures, videos, to infographics.
• Use VistaCreate’s tools to make logos, animations, images, and even brand kits.

Pros:

• Easy-to-Use Interface
• 50M+ Creative Assets to Use
• Generous Free Plan

Cons:

• Some Features Need Work

7. MotionDen

Next up is MotionDen.

What makes this one of the best software for creating animated videos is the support resources. You get a lot of valuable tips and explanations in there, making it extremely easy to start using it. 

What makes it even better to use is that the interface is well thought-out. Everything is in the place you’d think it would be, making video creation a breeze.

However, this platform isn’t only for making animated videos. In there, you can create up to 44 types of content out there, including animations, infographics, Instagram ad creatives, etc.

But there’s one thing you should know about MotionDen.

Even though there’s a free plan, you’re going to need to pay if you don’t want a video with a watermark. In contrast, that might not be a big problem for personal use.

But for business, it makes your brand look unprofessional.

Main Features:

• Hundreds of professionally made templates to choose from.
• Community Forum & Support will help you out 24/7
• Choose from millions of free stock assets to make something incredible!

Pros:

• Endless ability to create
• Easy to Use Interface
• Useful Tips and Explanation

Cons:

• Pay for videos with no watermarks.  

8. Biteable

Biteable is another impressive software for creating animated videos. What makes this so good is how easy it is for new users to start using it.

You should be familiar within hours and make amazing videos within minutes instead of hours.

And to make it even easier for beginners, Biteable has provided you with an extensive library of resources. With it, you can quickly learn how to use this platform and tactics to make your videos stand out.

And to top it all off, they’ve added a very generous free plan. So, you can try it out, and if you like it, get access to all the features.

Main Features:

• Different animation styles to make videos match your brand.
• Use Biteable’s templates to boost your video-making speed.
• Create videos for any purpose within minutes: sales, information, Facebook ads, and so much more

Pros:

• Easy-to-Use
• Free Plan Available
• Extensive Library of Resources

Cons:

• Limited customization
• No Direct Social Sharing

9. Pencil2D

Those who find the template-driven videos too restricting can use a tool called Pencil2D. With it, you’ll be able to create whatever you want. All you need is to draw what you wish to and animate it frame-by-frame.

But what makes this an excellent platform for animating is that the interface is straightforward to use. Within a few hours, you should be familiar with this platform and ready to create some fantastic videos.

It also comes with some helpful tools to make animating easier.

For example, you have a handy timeline tool that helps you find a frame that needs to work effortlessly.

You also have some essential drawing tools that simplify designing your scenes.

But there are some flaws to this platform. Apart from drawing skills to make something, it isn’t the best for experienced animators.

That’s because they don’t have access to more advanced tools that could make an awesome video even better.

But other than that, Pencil2D is still an excellent tool for creating some spectacular animations. And to top it all off, it’s 100% free!

Main Features:

• An easy-to-use interface lets you focus on creating amazing animations.
• Dark Mode makes working in the dark more bearable
• Seamless switch between raster and vector workflows helps you to do more faster.

Pros:

• 100% Free
• Easy to use interface
• Helpful tools

Cons:

• Drawing Skills Necessary
• Basic Tools

10. Explee

Next up is Explee.

That is yet another excellent tool for creating spectacular animations. That is, to do it for a couple of reasons. For starters, it has some fantastic features.

One of the best ones is BringLife. With it, you can take your social media photos and spice them up by giving animations to them with just a few clicks.

That helps your accounts stand out, giving you more engagement and followers.

Unlike most other tools for animated videos, you can use this software anywhere.

That doesn’t only include Macbooks and Windows PCs, but also your mobile phone.

Main Features:

• Create videos on any device, including your mobile phone!
• Simple timeline helps you to easily make changes to your video elements in one place.
• Explee’s VisualEngine2, lets you see your animation before rendering and downloading your video.

Pros:

• Bringlife Feature Makes Animating a Picture Effortless
• Able to Use on Any Device
• Drag and Drop Builder

Cons:

• Restrictive Basic Plan

11. Powtoon

Continuing down the list is Powtoon.

What I like most about it is how quickly you can create videos. You start by picking a template, tweaking it to your liking, and then exporting it.

All of that should take you no less than an hour or two.

Additionally, Powtoon has outstanding support. That means your questions should be answered exceptionally quickly, and you’ve got a lot of resources for learning this platform.

And did we mention it has a free version available? With it, you’ll be able to create 3-minutes of HD videos.

So, you can try it out before ever giving out your credit card information.

Main Features:

• Pick from hundreds of professionally designed video templates
• Get support through tutorials live webinars and Powtoon’s training center.
• Integrations with your favorite apps like Canva, Adobe,  Microsoft Powerpoint and so much more.

Pros:

• Easy & Fast Animation Making Process
• Great Support
• Free Version Available

Cons:

• Lots of paywalled content

12. Renderforest

At the end, we have Renderforest.

First, it’s straightforward to make videos with it. That is thanks to its easy-to-use drag-and-drop builder that doesn’t require any previous animating or video editing knowledge.

To make it even easier, you won’t have to start from scratch.

There are hundreds of templates available for you to choose with drawings and other media right at your fingertips.

However, what I love most about Renderforest is more than being an animated video maker. You can make social media posts and even design new websites with it.

Main Features:

• Tool for creating high-quality videos, graphics, mockups, logos, and even websites.
• Hundreds of video templates made for various categories.
• Build your very own online presence with RenderForest website builder.

Pros:

• Easy-To-Use
• High Customizability
• Other valuable tools

Cons:

• Higher-end Price

Conclusion

And those were the twelve best tools for creating animated videos. And now that you know them, it’s time to decide which one works for you.

For those who have illustration skills, it’s best to try out Pencil2D or Adobe Animate.

But if you don’t, then the other ten will work for you.